NCAR Archives Mission

The Archives seeks to preserve the institutional memory of UCAR/NCAR/UCP. The Archives acquires, processes, manages, and make accessible to staff and researchers high quality information resources documenting the broad spectrum of activities undertaken by UCAR/NCAR/UCP in the areas of research, technology, education, and community building.

Collecting Policy and Focus

The Archives collects materials that document the mission and work of UCAR/NCAR/UCP in the following areas:

• Scientific research
• Support functions that facilitate research
• Supercomputing
• Effects of weather and climate on society
• Contributions to the field of science
• Education and training services
• Community building
• Using science for the betterment of humankind and society
• Administration records that document the above activities
• The personal and professional papers of some scientists, engineers, administrators, and program staff

It is the responsibility of the Archives' staff to acquire and appraise records of enduring value, to arrange and describe them, to preserve and retain them, and to make such records available for reference by UCAR/NCAR/UCP staff and the general public. Following deposit and during the cataloging process, the Archives will evaluate the collection and identify any materials not required for permanent preservation. Disposition will be arranged with the agreement of the depositor.

Records of enduring value shall be defined as all records-in any media or format, including electronic-that have lasting administrative and/or historical value. In the aggregate, such records will document both the organization and its activities. These records of enduring value, include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Annual reports, correspondence, reports and planning documents, minutes, subject files, and other significant documents
• Annual budget final reports
• Reports of research projects
• Biographical information of staff
• Minutes, memoranda, and reports of governing bodies and other committees
• Audio-visual materials documenting the history of UCAR/NCAR/UCP, including photographs, slides, films, audio and videotapes, and digital media
• Maps, prints, and architectural drawings documenting physical changes and site development
• Ephemera and other memorabilia, such as awards, fragments of buildings, NCAR or field project t-shirts, etc.
• Electronic files of webpages

The Archives does not accept:

• Financial transaction documents, such as cancelled checks, credit card slips, invoices, ledger reports, petty cash vouchers and/or receipts, and any non-final budget reports (including budget requests)
• Travel records, including vouchers, itineraries, receipts, etc.
• Finance and Administration records
• Records that for reasons of confidentiality and/or legality that are permanently closed to access-all restrictions must be defined and must expire within 30 years of deposit
• Secondary/Personal reference materials, such as articles, clippings, conference materials, published books, journals, etc.
• Multiple copies (more than two) of any publication, program, flier, form, etc.
• Rare books or three-dimensional artifacts unless they are extremely relevant to the history of the institution.
• Personal financial statements, retirement account documents, medical records, etc.